Displaced Palestinians return to village after 64 years

The third generation of the displaced community of Iqrit decided that they’d had enough of waiting for authorities to allow them to return to their village lands, taking matters into their own hands. Last August, they set up their base in a room adjacent to the old church and haven’t left since.

Welcome to Iqrit. The revivers of the village (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

In 1948, the Christian Orthodox village of Iqrit surrendered to the IDF without a fight. When soldiers ordered residents to leave for two weeks for security reasons, considering the village is extremely close to the Lebanese boarder, nobody thought twice about it. Three years later, in July 1951, when the High Court of Justice ordered the state to fulfill its promise and allow the displaced people, who were still living in temporary houses in other villages, to return to their homes and lands, the small community was thrilled. But on Christmas Eve of that year the IDF blew up the entire village, leaving only the church in place. The people of Iqrit realized that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Labeeb and Marth Ashkar holding a picture of the village they were deported from in 1948 (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Since then, sixty-four years have passed. In the summer of 2012, like in all other summers since 1995, the entire displaced community organized a summer camp for their youth on village lands near the old church that they frequent on a monthly basis. They told the youngsters tales of village life and explained to them once again how they have been fighting for their right of return, a right which was guaranteed to them by courts and governments alike over the years. Iqrit is one of only two cases in Israeli history in which such promises have been made (the other being the nearby village of Bir’em).

The summer camp ended, and as everybody was returning home, some of the guides got to talking. They were sad to see how the generation of their grandparents was slowly fading away, and feared that whatever implementation of their recognized rights they had been unable to achieve in 64 years would not be achieved anytime soon. It was then and there that they decided to do something. They decided to return.

The young villagers of the New Iqrit enjoying lunch outside the church (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Six months have passed since that day. While three Palestinian outposts in the West Bank were erected and swiftly destroyed by the army – the youth of Iqrit were able to stay. Indeed, whenever they try to build something outside the church and its single adjacent room, authorities quickly show up to demolish it. But other than that, they’ve been living rough and making it happen: planting and growing their own food, collecting timber for fire, unearthing ruins of the old village, uploading pictures to their Facebook page from their mobile phones (there’s no electricity for computers), and making plans for the entire community’s future return.

Along with Activestills photographer Oren Ziv, I spent three days at this unique outpost/commune where young Palestinians are turning the dream of return into a reality. We interviewed them, as well as some of the older folk from the village who are fully supporting their young, and brought back with us their story. The piece I wrote was published in Haaretz a couple of weeks ago, but was not translated into English (the Hebrew origin can be found here). Last Friday, Channel 2′s “Ulpan Shishi,” the most watched news broadcast in Israel, ran a follow-up report to my Haaretz piece. It is quite unique that a mainstream platform seriously deals with the sensitive issue of the Palestinian Nakba, and the people of Iqrit hope that the massive (and mostly positive) attention they got will help them get back their lands – 64 years too late.

Dispite a unique rulling by the High Court in 1951 villagers are still not allowed to return (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

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COMMENTS

gordon

MondayMarch 18, 2013

great article, this is the reality that many israelis try to cover. how these people can sleep in the night it is a wonder to me.

Reply to Comment

Zephon

MondayMarch 18, 2013

Welcome home my cousins, my kin. Long have you been gone; but longer may you live and remain in the land our houses once stood together. I look forward to the day that you will be sitting beside me at my dinner table – and watch a good football game after a good few hours of good old school music.

And your families are invited.

That is a day worth living for.

Reply to Comment

Palestinian

A wonderful, uplifting story; it’s great to see your own efficacy, too.

“…in July 1951, when the High Court of Justice ordered the state to fulfill its promise and allow the displaced people, who were still living in temporary houses in other villages, to return to their homes and lands, the small community was thrilled. But on Christmas Eve of that year the IDF blew up the entire village, leaving only the church in place.” : In a country with real judicial review, the IDF acted unconstitutionally and would have faced sanction. This incident, however, shows the evolution of an implicit constitution where “branches,” including the IDF and Defense Ministry, are evolving an imunity from judicial review. Today, I see the IDF as almost an independent branch of the government, driven thereto by the occupation; in 1951, it is more likely that the Defense Ministry was the locus of immunity.

Palestinian but Christian–the kind of fissure in the ideological wall which can potentially generalize. This is not to disparage Muslims, but note political reality.

A nonviolent move, simply wanting to live the promise of the Court. People have a way of demanding their lives back.

Reply to Comment

Joel

MondayMarch 18, 2013

Those young Arabs returning to their familial homes remind me of the ‘hilltop youth’.

No?

Reply to Comment

Philos

TuesdayMarch 19, 2013

Remind you, yes, and, probably only you. Youth of Iqrit is to hilltop youth like apartheid is to settlers.

Reply to Comment

andrew r

ThursdayMarch 21, 2013

What town is in the background of the middle photo?

Reply to Comment

Noevil9

ThursdayMarch 21, 2013

Sometimes the sweet taste of justice is not just rewarding to those who prevail after such a struggle of 65 years, but also by those who were carrying the burden of denial, I hope!
Imagine all the Palestinians who were deprived from not just their right to their homes and land, but were burdened by the hardship of the consequences of being cleansed from their home and made refugees,then treated like refugees for so long. Suffering the need to adapt and reform their lives to suit the new reality that they were forced to be in. No homes, no jobs, no schools, no relatives, not even familiar old neighbors. Change from land owners to refugee camp dwellers. To create a home for the jews, was not just limited to that act itself, it went beyond in achieving misery and agonies of others. I hope,one day the Jews might realize that.

In 2002, Matar was part of the Shministim (Seniors) Letter to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and was imprisoned for two years for his refusal to enlist in the Israeli army. Since his release, he has been active in various groups against the occupation, as well as in several class-based struggles within Israeli society.

About +972 Magazine

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.